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Lied on Your Resume?

We have all been told that “honesty is the best policy”— so what happens if you’ve stretched the truth a little, or maybe even a lot—on your personal resume? What happens when your stretching of the truth comes out? What do you do when you get caught?

Below are the top categories people lie about on their resumes:

1. Lying about current skillset

2. Overselling responsibilities

3. Dates of employment

4. Job title

5. Academic degree

6. Prior employers

Let’s say you’ve lied on your resume and want to make it right, what should you do now?

Tell the truth. It might be harder than it sounds and may entirely remove you from being selected for the job. However, it is better than being hired on the basis of a lie. Lying about skillsets or experience you do not have, as well as overselling the responsibilities you can handle, will only create stress and panic within yourself about someone figuring out that you lied in the first place.

Remove yourself from the candidacy pool. Tell the employer you are no longer interested in the position. You have already sabotaged your chances with this employer, and it is the safest way out.

Doing absolutely nothing and hoping you don’t get caught is the best way to sabotage yourself. The truth always comes to light, and your work reputation will suffer from being dishonest with others.

Moral of the story: practice the honesty policy. It is now easier than ever for hiring managers to verify your skills, jobs, and job titles. Fix your resume, use professional language, and be honest about your work experience. Being honest and transparent can help create a better impression on your hiring manager, rather than having to explain a lie. Let your personality and hard-working nature be the primary reason your employer hires you on.